The Outfield Switch

[Number5]

2 hours ago, yark14 said:

I'm fine with it.  I was fine with the shift too.  Teams should be able to put fielders wherever they'd like. 

  Agreed,  Well, the pitcher must be on the pitchers plate and the catcher must be in the catchers box, but yeah, the other seven players can play anywhere they want, as long as they are in fair territory.  Basic rues of the game.

[Aristotelian]

10 minutes ago, waroriole said:

They can determine where OF stand too. I think if too many teams take advantage of this, you’ll see them assign OF starting points. 

They will legislate it if it actually makes a meaningful impact depressing offense. Until then no need to take away a strategy that has never been used.

[yark14]

3 hours ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

Yeah, me too. Hate the rule. Put all nine players next to 1B if you want.

They can have a tea party in left field for all I care.

[Frobby]

3 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

They will legislate it if it actually makes a meaningful impact depressing offense. Until then no need to take away a strategy that has never been used.

I think the OF shift would actually be exciting to watch.   Beat it and you have a track meet.

[OriolesMagic83]

If Chris Davis was still active, he would continue to hit the ball right into the shift.  I don't know much about Gallo other than he strikes out a ton, but I assume he's another guy that's going to just keeping doing "what got me here". 

[Winter]

so shift risk goes from bunt single to bloop single inside the park HR 

[Pickles]

11 minutes ago, Winter said:

so shift risk goes from bunt single to bloop single inside the park HR 

That's what made the shift so effective.  Even hitting against it wasn't too damaging.  It was a single.  The OF shift certainly changes the dynamic.

[Aristotelian]

Just now, Frobby said:

I think the OF shift would actually be exciting to watch.   Beat it and you have a track meet.

Yep, much higher risk than the infield shift. If you beat the infield shift you get a single. The defense is basically gambling that on net there will be fewer singles. If you beat the outfield shift it's off to the races and you are potentially turning an out into a double or triple. Still, there are situations where you need the out and the baserunner doesn't matter, or hitters who hit so much into the shift it's worth the gamble. 

[Winter]

20 minutes ago, Pickles said:

That's what made the shift so effective.  Even hitting against it wasn't too damaging.  It was a single.  The OF shift certainly changes the dynamic.

Wonder wha the odds are where they shift on Rutschman with a RHP and he slowly goes to the right batters box with pitch clock, the defense doesn't have time to get back into position.... heck any switch hitter. 

[yark14]

3 hours ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

If Chris Davis was still active, he would continue to hit the ball right into the shift.  I don't know much about Gallo other than he strikes out a ton, but I assume he's another guy that's going to just keeping doing "what got me here". 

Gallo is Chris Davis 2.0.  Literal carbon copy.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

3 hours ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

If Chris Davis was still active, he would continue to hit the ball right into the shift.  I don't know much about Gallo other than he strikes out a ton, but I assume he's another guy that's going to just keeping doing "what got me here". 

I don’t understand that stubbornness from hitters today. I remember Eddie Murray would adjust his approach at the plate depending on the game situation.

Eddie would try to go the other way if it meant slapping a base hit that scored a runner or hit a sac fly when there’s a runner on 3B with less than two outs. Now you have sluggers like Davis and Gallo who try to pull the ball every single at bat even against the shift or when a single to right field would score the go ahead runner.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

I don’t understand that stubbornness from hitters today. I remember Eddie Murray would adjust his approach at the plate depending on the game situation.

Eddie would try to go the other way if it meant slapping a base hit that scored a runner or hit a sac fly when there’s a runner on 3B with less than two outs. Now you have sluggers like Davis and Gallo who try to pull the ball every single at bat even against the shift or when a single to right field would score the go ahead runner.

Probably because hitting is really hard and changing your approach is probably not going to lead to more success.

Let's go with 1983 for Murray, the K rate was 5.18/9.  In 2022 it was 8.53.  It's a lot easier to poke a ball the other way when guys aren't throwing absolute filth.

 

[HakunaSakata]

8 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Probably because hitting is really hard and changing your approach is probably not going to lead to more success.

Let's go with 1983 for Murray, the K rate was 5.18/9.  In 2022 it was 8.53.  It's a lot easier to poke a ball the other way when guys aren't throwing absolute filth.

 

Yeah, I don't buy this excuse one bit. Hitters have evolved just like pitchers. And the majority of them were never consciously trying to beat the shift. Probably because there's more money to be made hitting HRs than there is in hitting singles. Look at the AL batting league champ last season. He was so lauded for his accomplishments that he was traded this offseason!

[AnythingO's]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Probably because hitting is really hard and changing your approach is probably not going to lead to more success.

Let's go with 1983 for Murray, the K rate was 5.18/9.  In 2022 it was 8.53.  It's a lot easier to poke a ball the other way when guys aren't throwing absolute filth.

 

While that is absolutely true, we are comparing Davis/Gallo to HoF Murray. I am confident that Eddie, the guy who owned the GWRBI stat in the AL, would find a way to go opposite field even in today's environment. 

[AnythingO's]

3 hours ago, Winter said:

Wonder what the odds are where they shift on Rutschman with a RHP and he slowly goes to the right batters box with pitch clock, the defense doesn't have time to get back into position.... heck any switch hitter. 

I'm not sure why this comment hasn't started a discussion but they have 15 or 20 seconds to pitch depending on runners. As long as the hitter is "set" at the 8 second mark, is there any restriction on a switch hitter changing sides. He could even do it between pitches further complicating things. Eight seconds seems like a long time but if the LF or RF has to take 3-4 seconds to recognize the change and then hustle across the outfield, he likely won't be optimally positioned.